Originality
by chasingafterstarlight
Summary: Or, how original girls don't always get their happy endings. Lily Potter can prove that, because she's original and Victoire isn't. Teddy Lupin can't decide. TeddyLily, slight TeddyVictoire -oneshot, nextgen-


_Originality_

**(or, how original girls don't always get happy endings)**

TeddyLily** (**_**that's a first**_**)**

Some TeddyVictoire _(just a warning)_

Victoire Weasley is _not _original, Lily Potter thinks.

With her long blonde waves and her big blue eyes, Victoire is just an average _Ice Queen. _She flips her hair and bats her all-too-long eyelashes, and every bloke is mesmerized. Her Veela genes shine through like no one else's in her family, except her mother's. If you counted the number of hearts that Victoire Weasley had broken, it would pile up like no one else's.

Lily Potter is different than Victoire.

Her red curls are bouncy and uncontrollable, too hard to be tamed- just like Lily herself. Her deep brown eyes- which are shared by most of the population of the world, but still so _Lily _in that they are still unique- usually catch your attention first. Though most people don't look there, her bottom lip is slightly puffier than her top lip. Her face is a mix of imperfection with perfection.

Personality- you don't want to go there. Once she got to Hogwarts, the Slytherins didn't know what had hit them. Most gloomy, quiet Slytherins were shocked by this new, bubbly personality that didn't seem to have a drop of evil in her. That, in itself, makes her unique- the first Potter Slytherin there ever was.

Then there's Teddy Lupin, Harry Potter's _fourth child _in a sense. He's known Lily ever since she was a _little girl._

/

When Lily was just a little girl, she declared Teddy to be her best friend in the whole wide world.

Often, he would take her out for Muggle ice cream at the nearby shops during his summer holidays. She'd always order the same flavour, mint chocolate chip, and he would just order plain chocolate. Then they'd have a licking contest to see who could get the cone first.

Lily always won.

And she'd always end up with a smudge of ice cream on her nose, so he'd always have to wipe it off and grin at her.

Clapping, she'd take the rest of the ice cream and smear it on his nose, cheeks, and eyes in a clownlike fashion. That was his first indication that she was different, original.

And as he cleaned the ice cream out of her red ringlets, he wondered what she'd grow up to become.

/

As the little girl grew up, she was always laughing. Laughter was a part of the everyday routine with Lily Potter, but Teddy didn't mind.

Even as a child, she would walk about the neighborhood, searching for fun toys to play with. Shrieking with laughter, she would usually end up riding one of the neighborhood dogs or playing with a snake. Teddy was the one always sent to get her.

He knew from the start how that girl had a way with animals.

Another favourite pastime of hers was painting. Though she also enjoyed painting on paper, she would usually paint outside the paper, and sometimes on Teddy's face. Instead of the simple clown design, she'd paint intricate designs these days- swirls and interconnected dots. When Teddy was done, it looked as if his face had been painted by one of the face-painters at the fair. He'd laugh and make a scene, telling her how talented she was

But he'd always make sure it was waterproof before she painted.

/

Around that time was when he started to date Victoire. Strangely, he found himself attracted to her big blue eyes and shiny blonde hair. Maybe it was the Veela genes, maybe it was something else. But when Lily was nine, he found himself snogging Victoire at King's Cross station.

Once he returned, he could tell that James, the sneak, had announced it to everyone. He saw the tears trickling down little Lily's face.

He rushed over to her. "Lily, baby, what's wrong?"

"James said you and Victoire were snogging," Lily choked out.

"Doesn't mean I love you any less," He comforted, taking the tiny redhead in his strong arms.

Lily lifted her brown eyes to meet his. "What does snogging mean, Teddy?"

"It's sort of like…kissing," he offered, tearing his eyes away from hers. _He _doesn't want to be the one that's telling her all of this.

"Oh," Lily looks visibly relieved. Beaming now once again, she hops down from his arms. "James said it meant that you were getting married and you'd never see me again."

"Of course not, Lily-flower," He is stunned that James could be so cruel, and stunned that Lily _believed _him. "I'm not going to leave you."

"Good," Lily takes his hand in hers again. "Don't ever get married to Victoire. I want you with me."

"I promise," He knelt down and kissed the top of her curls.

/

Teddy's the only one not surprised when Lily is placed into Slytherin.

Her father can't understand how his 'precious little angel' Lily got into Slytherin, and sends numerous letters to the headmaster McGonagall about how there should be a re-sorting. To Teddy's delight, McGonagall sent a letter back, saying how the "Sorting Hat makes no mistakes," and "maybe you're the one who needs to reconsider, Mr. Potter, seeing as how the Hat considered _you_ for Slytherin". Guffawing, Teddy wished to give McGonagall a high-five. His godfather wasn't so pleased.

But the year went on, and Lily returned, bursting with stories about all of her days as a Slytherin. Her father wasn't too pleased to hear that she was enjoying it, but Teddy took her on his lap and listened to all of her stories. They were incredibly different from his days as a Gryffindor, and Victoire's stories of parties and boys. They were stories about uniting houses, learning that she was able to speak Parseltongue (who knows how? She's just special), and insane professors.

Her brothers weren't too pleased, but he hugged her and told her it would be all right and they'd get over it eventually. They loved her.

But when Lily went back to Hogwarts, he was left alone with Victoire, who had graduated.

She was happy, he was torn.

/

When Lily returned from Hogwarts after her second year, she saw Teddy sitting in the kitchen, Victoire on his lap.

"Hello, Lily," Victoire greeted her cousin cordially.

"Lily!" Teddy sprung up from his seat, almost knocking a now annoyed Victoire to the floor. "How was your year?"

After telling him all about her highlights, she eyed Victoire suspiciously. "Remember your promise, Teddy."

Flushing red, he didn't answer Victoire when she prodded him to tell her about this 'promise.' He's never going to tell her; she's got that Weasley temper.

But when he went back to snogging her, he realised they had nothing to talk about.

_Oh, the pitfalls of being 'in love' with shallow as a puddle Victoire. Unoriginal, uninteresting, but beautiful Victoire._

/

Lily's return third year was much less uneventful. She was nearing fourteen, then, and she was starting to grow and develop. Teddy's eyes widen when they see her.

"My little Lily is growing up," He informed her, giving her a 'teddy-bear' hug.

"Don't be silly," She assured him, running her fingers through his blue hair. "I'll always be your little Lily-flower."

But Victoire was still in the picture, because he didn't dare to break up with her yet. In fact, he didn't know if he even _wanted _to- because even though Victoire was boring as a stick, she was still safety, a home with a bunch of children and a fire in the fireplace.

So they didn't break up, and Lily returned, as fiery as could be.

/

After her fourth year, Lily came back and Teddy realised once again that she's definitely not a child anymore.

Her curls were wavier, and with a start, he could see that she was wearing makeup. Her brown eyes stood out like chocolate to a starving person. And, last of all, she was curvier. He couldn't believe he was noticing this- she was just a _child_!

But he did, and he didn't know why.

It's then that, in front of the entire family, including Lily, Victoire proposed to him. It's unorthodox, but she doesn't seem to care. Biting his lip, Teddy's eyes flew to Lily, whose eyes are watering. "You promised," She stated flatly.

"I- I-I…" Teddy stuttered, and then trailed off.

"Is that a yes?" Victoire beamed. "All right, we can start planning immediately!"

/

Lily stays in her room all of the rest of vacation.

She starts to make the list of why she is more interesting than boring old Victoire. Undoubtedly, she's more unique, and maybe more pretty. So _why_ does Teddy prefer Victoire to her?

For the rest of holiday, she doesn't speak to Teddy, and she returns to Hogwarts. Near the end of the year, she gets an owl from Teddy.

_Dear Lily Luna,_

_I'm sorry that I had to break my promise to you._

She rips it up into a thousand miniscule pieces and throws it in the fire, because it doesn't matter anymore- he's gone and out of her life.

Things are changing, she has to admit, and she's not sure that she likes it at all.

/

That year, she dates boy after boy, trying to find the right match. But none of them are _right _and over the summer she's going to turn sixteen. Sixteen, Slytherin, and no idea where she's going- what every boy wants in a girl.

Her sixteenth birthday feels warmer with the announcement that Teddy and Victoire have decided to delay the wedding a year. This means, by the time of their wedding, she'll have come of age.

But she still can't eat her birthday cake while staring at Victoire's large diamond ring that Teddy had bought for her after she'd proposed.

"What's wrong, Lils?" Teddy asks. "You're still ignoring me?"

"You broke your promise," Lily reminds him, and it sounds hollow- a deaf echoing in both of their ears.

"I did," Teddy hangs his head. "Well, more like, I will- I haven't yet, you don't know that I will yet. I haven't married her yet."

"I suppose," Lily chokes out, and then she dissolves into tears. Teddy holds her close, and from across the room she notices the furious look on Victoire Weasley's face as she stabs the cake.

/

"What do you think it feels like to have to compete with a sixteen-year-old for affections?" Victoire yelps, eyes darker than she's ever seen them before.

Terrified, Lily glances up. "Come again?"

"I have to compete with you, my baby cousin, for the affections of my fiancé," Victoire roars. "How _twisted _is that?"

"I don't want Teddy's affections," Lily replies, but it's an obvious lie. It's what she wants, what she's always wanted.

"Then _why _won't you let me marry him without making him feel guilty?" Victoire yells at her.

Eyes widening, Lily yelps and then leaves the room. She feels guilty now- like she's being selfish for not letting Teddy be happy and marry Victoire. It's not his fault if he likes Victoire more. Now she feels like she's been holding him back from happiness.

But she doesn't do anything about it right then, because she's still not entirely willing to give up her hold on him.

/

It's her seventeenth birthday the next summer, after her sixth year at Hogwarts. She's getting ready to go into her final year, plan out her future- and she's never been so worried. But still she smiles, pretending to be ready.

From behind her, someone comes, and she feels cold metal on her neck. "Happy birthday, Lily."

"Teddy," she replies, and she feels herself smiling.

"The one and only," he says breezily, coming around to face her. It's dead silent until he says something. "I'm marrying Victoire in five days."

"I know," she sighs. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I don't want you to think I'm holding you back. If marrying Victoire makes you happy, then go ahead and do it. I'll be happy for you two, really. It's just some promise. It's not as if we made an Unbreakable Vow."

He stares at her, totally torn, and there's some unknown emotion in his eyes. Slowly, he leans down and plants a careful kiss on her lips. Then his lips are moving against hers until _suddenly _he pulls apart.

"I can't do this," He whispers, his face the picture of fear. "I love you, Lily."

And then he's _gone._

/

Five days later, a torn up Lily walks down the aisle in the purple coloured bridesmaid's dress. There are obvious circles under her eyes.

As she glances up at the groom, she quickly notices the circles under his eyes, too.

She watches slowly as Victoire walks down the aisle, the picture of Veela perfection in her white wedding dress. As she walks, Lily feels incredible sadness, and once she reaches the altar, Lily runs out of their wedding into the hallway, faced with the incredible desire to vomit.

Once she's out, she burst into tears and buries her head in her hands.

_I love you, Lily._

(_I love you too, Teddy)_

She guesses those that are original don't always get their happy endings, do they?

**A/N: Well, there's my first try at Teddy/Lily, and my first Teddy!fic and Lily!fic.**

**That was for the Prompts, oh, Prompts challenge by Mystii, with the prompts: original, little girl, laughing and change. Hope you enjoy!**

**Please review, everyone!**


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